MegInNOLA

I had only mild pain, such that I didn't take any pain medication at all once I was released from the hospital. It was mostly incisional-type pain, but quite tolerable--I do have a fairly high pain tolerance, I think, and I also hate the way prescription pain medication makes me feel, but I was able to move around and do what I needed to do without any trouble. I told the hospital staff well in advance of my preference for non-narcotic pain meds (narcotics make me throw up), and it was fine all around.

I would gently suggest to your friend that maybe having her blood tested would provide her with answers--either she's worrying for no reason, or she might need to supplement, and it's a pretty easy fix. I had blood work done at 6 months and discovered low thiamine levels, which evidently occur when one isn't consuming products with thiamine-enriched flour (I don't eat Pasta or bread or much of anything with flour in it any more!). I had no idea I was deficient--not just low, but deficient--until I had the blood work. This could have turned into a longer-term, more serious condition, and, again, I had no idea. So a simple blood Vitamin panel would provide your friend information and either reassurance or recommendations for how to solve the problem. There are delicious chewables out now for practically every vitamin/mineral requirement, so taking them is kind of a treat. I take my B supplement in a geltab form. Best wishes!

The only time I got/get what you're describing is when I eat too much. Oh, boy, then it hits with a vengeance! Does it happen when you eat, or just all the time?

I know exactly what you mean on all fronts. I had/have a very picky sleeve and had to be on Prilosec or I threw up.... didn't matter what it was. Just not a happy experience! So keep taking the med--what's to lose?? And yes, small amounts can be eaten very quickly. I used a baby spoon when I was on mushies and softs, and it helped me eat slowly and take tiny bites. Try to think of it as a positive--this restriction is what the sleeve is supposed to do, and you will experience the greatest weight loss during that opening period of time when your body weight is still high and your food intake is super low. Eventually you won't think about food so much--I know in the beginning, my senses of smell and taste and so forth were so incredibly keen--it's because your body thinks you're starving it (well, in a sense, you kind of are), and it's going to go overtime trying to convince you that whatever food is around looks and smells great! And portion size will eventually look more normal to you--when I was first starting back on "real" food after liquids, I thought people were eating HUGE amounts of food. It sort of grossed me out then. Now I find it kind of cool that I can't eat very much--I can't actually finish a whole cookie, for instance, or I eat 1 scallop and some salad and I'm done. I LOVE MY SLEEVE!!

Congratulations! Welcome to the Century Club!! You're doing an awesome job!!

I have migrated into the "five small snack-sized meals a day" routine that seems to keep everything steady. :-) My favorites are a handful of almonds or mixed nuts, an ounce of cheese, or 1/4 c. of beans--I always have some cooked Beans in the fridge. My sleeve prefers dairy and vegetable Protein, which is a big change from pre-sleeve (Irene, I'm so jealous of your eggs! I love them and sleevie hates them!!!). Other favs: Soup--BIGGEST helper food ever, spinach dip (great Iron and protein source), and grapefruit--can't seem to get enough! Oh, and yogurt; I can almost finish a 6-ounce container now. We also just got a Red Mango frozen yogurt place, and I love that--I can get a me-size serving with sliced almonds and some fruit on top and enjoy!!

Puja, you might investigate the PB2, which is a powdered peanut butter--they remove a good chunk of the fat. You mix it to Peanut Butter consistency with Water or add it to Protein shakes--all the benefits/flavor of peanut butter minus the fat! I probably eat 2-3 ounces of cheese daily, and I eat nuts, too. I honestly don't worry too much about the fat in these, since I'm not eating a lot of fat these days in other foods. That being said, I don't go crazy with them (can't--sleeve's working!!), and if there's a low-fat option, like low-fat cottage cheese, I'll certainly take that. Mostly, though, I just eat regular stuff--regular cheese, regular milk, regular whatever--and so far it's been fine. I don't know what your calorie or nutritional goals are, though; I'm not in a hurry and have been pretty pleased with progress so far, so I don't feel the need to necessarily be as strict as others might be. :-)

YAY Meggie!!! Congratulations!!!!

I agree that a big part of it is how you do it, not what you do. :-) Here's what I do in every restaurant setting: 1. Order water; this keeps the wait staff from continuously asking you about a drink. You don't have to drink the Water, just order it and let them bring it to you. 2. When ordering the meal, say, "It all looks wonderful. I'd like a cup of soup (or one of the other things suggested below) for my entree, please," smile at the waiter, and hand him/her your menu. 3. After your companion(s) order, ask a question about something you're interested in--doesn't matter what--just start a conversation. Enjoy the company and just move forward from the topic of food! ("You were saying that you were having a tough time at work this week? What's up with that?") 4. When the food arrives, take your time! You can take a couple of spoons of soup and then put your spoon down and chat for a bit. This is actually a perfect time for you to do some of the talking about you, because your companion will have more food to eat and will be eating it. Most of the time, people I'm eating with either have no idea that I'm eating a LOT less than they are, or they just don't care because it seems like it's normal for me (which at this point, it is!). Other options besides soup: A small salad; chicken salad sandwich on toast (open it and eat the "guts" of the sandwich--you can easily say you're low-carbing and everyone understands that); shrimp cocktail appetizer for your entree--I do this all the time, too. The biggest part is that I just act like it's not a big deal. Honestly, nobody really cares how much you eat, as long as they are enjoying themselves and you are enjoying yourself. Hope you have a great time on your date!!

I also have no real idea of a "goal" weight--my surgeon didn't set one, and my nutritionist set my goal at 212 pounds (which was almost 10 pounds ago). I'm 6'2" and have been overweight for around 25 years. I feel both a little bit lost and a little loathe to actually set a goal that may or may not be attainable--does that make sense? I know I want to reach a "normal" BMI of 25, which means that for my height, I need to hit 194 pounds, but that's the top range of "normal" for my height. I don't think I have a particularly large frame--I mean, I have a LONG frame, but it's not like I have thick bones or am what someone would consider "big boned." So those charts say that the "people's choice" weight for my height is 178. Wow. I have a LONG way to go to hit that weight. It's frustrating that there's a 30- to 40-pound range in "normal" weight (from 155-195 for my height!) on some weight charts, which makes those charts sort of useless. I know that finding an ideal weight is very individualized, and I agree that aiming just for a number isn't really a useful thing--some bodies are just more muscular and will be heavier for height and yet still really healthy and in shape (and as Irene proves, smaller in size than one might expect at a particular weight). I don't really have a "muscular" build, either... So I'm joining the "I have no idea where I'm heading" club, and I feel kind of okay about that, as long as I make it into "normal" BMI land (which is, right now, my "goal"). I'm looking forward to onederland some time soon (only have 4 pounds to go!) and then to 194 (normal BMI) and to 190 (my original "goal"). After that, I am clueless. :-)

Congratulations! You look amazing--and graduating is a wonderful accomplishment! Go YOU!!!!

Ooh, sounds delightful! Have a great time and enjoy your "me" day!!

I should clarify that by "corn chips," I'm talking about tortilla chips, not Fritos. Fritos have a LOT more fat and calories than the thin baked corn chips. Like everything else, choose wisely! :-)

Hey congratulations on your great results so far! I'm really close to onederland, too, and I'm also aiming for new year's. Let's do it!!!!!

Congratulations to you!!! How exciting!!

I'm 8 months out and still bread- and pasta-free at this point. I have avoided bread for several reasons, including its trigger/overeating potential/history, the fact that it's a lot of carbs with minimal "nutrition," the fact that it swells in the stomach. Believe me, I was a HUGE bread-aholic before surgery--it's just been easier to mostly avoid it. I say mostly because I recently tried a few bites of pita with hummus at a Mediterranean restaurant--it was delicious, but WOW was I overfull after only a couple of tiny bites!! So I'm not really a fan and I don't think I'm going to try that again any time soon. Now, corn chips are another thing. I eat corn chips pretty regularly, not tons of them, but I do eat chips with cheese dip or just thin slices of cheese (or made into nachos--yum!) or with a high-Protein dip. I can tolerate them comfortably--I think it's the crispy texture--and they serve the same purpose as crackers for me. I certainly don't eat them daily or anything, and I eat them as part of a meal; I find them very useful and yummy. I prefer these to crackers for smaller volume, and there is some protein in a corn chip that isn't in most crackers. So now I'm a recovering bread-aholic. :-) And that's a good thing.

You're still only a short time out from surgery. Your stomach will be able to handle lots of things later that it can't right now. I'm a huge Tex-Mex fan, too, although I'm not particularly fond of hot, spicy food, but I can and do eat Mexican at restaurants pretty routinely now (minimizing raw onion, which my sleeve still doesn't like much--my mouth definitely does!!). Going out to eat now is mostly a matter of sharing food with my husband. He's really good about letting me snag a few bites off his plate, and I usually have a cup of soup or half a side salad (whatever I feel like at the time). I completely agree that it's more FUN to go out now, since I'm focusing on the company and not the food; I thought about it recently, how this is probably how skinny people have been thinking of it their whole lives--not focusing on scarfing!

Congratulations!!

I am very tall (6'2") and very curvy; I have always been what seemed to me to be disproportionately large on top. After surgery, it seemed like most of the first 30 pounds came from the girls! About a month after surgery, I went to a specialty bra store. Imagine my surprise in finding that I was supposed to be, at that time, in a 42GG! I actually bought 40GG's and used a band extender for a couple of months. Those underwires did what they were supposed to do, lift and support the girls, and the band fit snugly and comfortably, and there wasn't any flapping of loose fabric, wires digging in, or spillage over the top--just comfort, great look under clothes--and I was hooked. Fast forward to now. Since losing 102 pounds (oh man, I just love saying that!!!) with my sleeve, the rest of my torso has slimmed down (I can see and feel my collar bones and ribs), and I now wear a 38GG--the exact same bras I got after losing the initial 30 pounds or so still fit, just on the tighter hooks. So I'm another one who lost band size but not cup size. I look long and lean overall now, but I most definitely still seem to be disproportionately large on top.... I was wearing fitted jeans and a light-support cami the other day in preparation for putting on a sweater, and my husband said that I had a "Lara Croft" look--I was thrilled!! I like the thought of looking thin and strong but still curvy and feminine. He has the nice habit of overlooking the pudgy area just around my belly button that I hate--maybe eventually that will go away, too...

WOW! Congratulations to you!!!

Congratulations and welcome to the Century Club! You're doing awesome!!

Congratulations on your loss! I can't see the pics, but I bet you look amazing!

Cludgie, HUGS!!! It's not a race!!! LOL Girl, look how far you've come--celebrate!!! I completely "get" why you'd like to be at goal by X or Y date, but it's your body you're talking about, and you've given it a much longer, healthier life by what you've already done--don't get mad at it now!! Bouncing around is part of the process--just ignore it, keep doing what you know to do, maybe up the Water, and check your salt consumption. If it is TOM, there ya go; if not, salt may be your issue. And why in the world would you weigh at the end of the day?? I avoid that scale like poison any time after my morning weigh-in because I KNOW I'm going to be 3 or 4 pounds heavier at the end of the day AT LEAST, depending on what and when I last ate, if I've been to the ladies' room recently, or the clothes I have on my body. That scale does not define you; it's just numbers! Think of what you'd tell someone else in your same situation--why would you be nicer to that person than you're being to yourself?? It will all come out okay. Hang in there!!

Wow, congratulations! You're really rocking that sleeve!! Thanks for posting--great to see you're doing so well.

I like my laptop for this--I can play games, surf, check email, etc. and not worry about food at all. :-) My mom crochets and knits--I'm thinking of taking up one or the other as a hobby, because she makes lap blankets for elderly nursing home patients and lots of folks' new babies. :-) Seems like a productive sort of hobby.